Furniture Incoterms: FOB, CIF and who pays what.
Incoterms decide exactly where our responsibility ends and yours begins — and how your furniture price is built. We quote FOB and CIF from India's west-coast ports, so every cost line is clear before you confirm an order.
The same container can land at very different costs — the Incoterm is why.
Incoterms (International Commercial Terms) are the standard rules that split cost, risk and responsibility between seller and buyer on an international shipment. They tell you who pays ocean freight, who insures the cargo, where risk transfers, and which charges sit in the quote versus which you settle at your own port. Get the Incoterm right and your landed-cost maths is clean; get it wrong and surprise charges appear after the goods have shipped.
FOB and CIF — built for container furniture from India.
We ship from India (Mundra or Nhava Sheva) and do not hold an overseas warehouse, so our quotes are FOB or CIF. Both are ocean-freight terms designed for full and part containers; the difference is simply how much of the sea leg we carry for you.
Free On Board
Our price covers the goods, export-grade packing, inland transport to the port and loading onto the vessel. From that point — ocean freight, marine insurance, destination charges, customs and duty — the shipment is on your account and your forwarder. Favoured by experienced importers who have negotiated freight rates on your lane and want full control of the sea leg.
Cost, Insurance & Freight
Everything in FOB, plus we arrange and pay the ocean freight and marine insurance to your named destination port. You take over at arrival for import customs, duty, terminal handling and final delivery. The simpler choice when you would rather one party manage the water crossing and quote a single number to the port.
Who pays what, under FOB versus CIF.
Use this as your landed-cost checklist. Under both terms, import duty, destination clearance and last-mile delivery are always the buyer's — that is standard for any furniture import, and we state it up front rather than burying it.
| Cost / responsibility | FOB | CIF |
|---|---|---|
| Goods & manufacturing | Seller | Seller |
| Export packing (ISPM-15, flat-pack) | Seller | Seller |
| Inland haulage to Indian port | Seller | Seller |
| Export customs & loading on vessel | Seller | Seller |
| Ocean freight to destination port | Buyer | Seller |
| Marine insurance (sea leg) | Buyer | Seller |
| Destination port & terminal charges | Buyer | Buyer |
| Import customs clearance & duty | Buyer | Buyer |
| Final inland delivery to your door | Buyer | Buyer |
Pick your Incoterm in four steps.
Know your port
Tell us your destination port. For CIF we quote ocean freight and insurance to that port; for FOB you load at Mundra or Nhava Sheva and route it yourself.
Check your freight rates
If your forwarder already has strong rates on the India lane, FOB usually wins. If not, our CIF freight may beat booking it yourself — ask us to compare.
Factor duty & clearance
Import duty and destination clearance are yours under both terms. Add them to the FOB or CIF figure to see true landed cost per piece.
Confirm the quote
We issue the quote on your chosen Incoterm with MOQ, a 30–45 day lead time and full compliance documentation attached to the shipment.
Ports, packing and container density.
We load from Mundra and Nhava Sheva on India's west coast — the main gateways for furniture exports to the US, UK, EU, Australia and the Gulf. Export packing is ISPM-15 heat-treated so your pallets and crates clear plant-quarantine checks without delay.
A trial or sample order can ship LCL (part-container); for best pricing thereafter, our standard minimum is one 20ft full container load, and we consolidate mixed categories — furniture, metalware, marble and décor — into a single compliant load. Choosing knockdown / flat-pack raises container density, so your freight cost per unit drops under FOB or CIF alike.
| Shipping fact | Our standard |
|---|---|
| Load ports | Mundra · Nhava Sheva (India) |
| Incoterms quoted | FOB · CIF |
| Overseas warehouse | None — we ship from India |
| Trial / sample | LCL (part-container) |
| Standard minimum | 1× 20ft FCL · mixed-category OK |
| Lead time | 30–45 days typical |
| Export packing | ISPM-15 heat-treated · flat-pack options |
Furniture Incoterms, answered.
What Incoterms do you quote for furniture?
We quote FOB (Free On Board) and CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight) from the Indian ports of Mundra or Nhava Sheva. FOB is the common choice for experienced importers with their own freight forwarder; CIF suits buyers who prefer us to arrange ocean freight and marine insurance to the destination port.
What is the difference between FOB and CIF for an import order?
Under FOB, our price covers the goods, export packing, inland haulage and loading onto the vessel at the Indian port; you take over ocean freight, insurance and everything from there. Under CIF, we add ocean freight and marine insurance to the named destination port; you still handle import customs, duty and final delivery under both terms.
Who pays import duty, customs clearance and destination charges?
The buyer does, under both FOB and CIF. Import duty, destination customs clearance, port and terminal handling at arrival, and final inland delivery are always the importer's responsibility and are not included in a FOB or CIF furniture price.
Can you ship DDP or deliver to my warehouse?
We do not operate an overseas warehouse, so we quote FOB and CIF rather than DDP. We can recommend freight partners, but destination duty, clearance and last-mile delivery remain the buyer's scope. This keeps pricing transparent and avoids hidden destination mark-ups.
Which Incoterm gives the lowest total landed cost?
There is no single answer — it depends on whether your forwarder's ocean-freight rates beat ours on your lane. FOB gives you full control of freight and insurance; CIF is simpler if you want one party managing the sea leg. We are happy to quote both so you can compare total landed cost for your port.
How does flat-pack affect freight under FOB or CIF?
Knockdown / flat-pack furniture ships at much higher container density, so more units fit in a 20ft or 40ft load and your freight cost per piece drops — whichever Incoterm you choose. We flag which items flat-pack efficiently when we quote.
Get a FOB and CIF quote on the same order.
Send your product list or our catalogue selection and your destination port. We will return both Incoterms, the MOQ, a 30–45 day lead time and the compliance documentation your customs clearance needs.